With the EW BrightSparks Selection Day fast approaching, it is good highlight one of the judges who has been a constant supporter – a mainstay of the programme: Graham Curren, the CEO of Sondrel, the IC design specialists.

“This will be the third year that we have taken part in the Electronics Weekly Bright Sparks programme,” explained Graham Curren, Sondrel’s CEO and Founder.

“As a judge for the past three years, it has been amazing and an honour to meet the best of the best of Britain’s young designers. They are the driving force supporting Britain’s role as one of the global leaders in electronics innovation.”

The EW BrightSparks programme is run in partnership with RS Components each year, and we have once again been looking for the young engineers who are already making a difference in the first years of their working life, or who are still studying but are showing the promise to become the people behind big future innovations in electronics.

So, stay tuned for the announcement of the final cohort, the Class of 2020. And thank you again to everyone entered – so many great applications – we cant include them all. It was a record number of entries this year, too, which is great to see.

Awards Day

The BrightSparks Awards Day will take place at the IET on 4 May and we will be covering it fully both in print and online, including subsequent individual profiles of all the EW BrightSparks of 2020.

Selection panel

The selection panel for 2020 will comprise (alphabetically):

• Clive Couldwell (group editor, Electronics Weekly)
• Graham Curren (CEO, Sondrel)
• Dr Nike Folayan, MBE (Associate Director, WSP)
• Peter Hannon (Managing Director, Harting)
• Isabella Mascarenhas (Vice President, Grass Roots & Shining Stars, RS Components)
• Lindsley Ruth (CEO, RS Components)
• Dr. Frederik Schulze Spüntrup (president of the European Young Engineers)
• Lizzie Truett (Young Professionals Strategic Development Manager, IET)